The Pololu Zumo robot is an Arduino-controllable tracked robot platform that is less than 10 cm × 10 cm - small enough to qualify for Mini Sumo. It includes two micro metal gearmotors coupled to a pair of silicone tracks, a stainless steel bulldozer-style blade, an array of six infrared reflectance sensors for line following or edge detection, a 3-axis accelerometer / 3-axis magnetometer / 3-axis gyroscope, and a buzzer for simple sounds and music.
Just add 4x AA batteries and an Arduino (or compatible controller) and you are ready to push! No soldering or assembly is required.
Overview
The Zumo robot is a low-profile tracked robot platform intended for use with an Arduino (or compatible device) as its main controller. It measures less than 10 cm on each side and weighs approximately 300 g with an Arduino Uno and batteries (165 g without, as shipped), so it is both small enough and light enough to qualify for Mini-Sumo competitions. It uses two 10:12)
Features
Integrated 75:1 HP micro metal gearmotors that offer a good blend of speed (up to 2 feet per second), power, and control.
Mounted array of six IR reflectance sensors that allows the Zumo to detect contrasts in reflectivity directly beneath its blade, which can be used for following lines or detecting edges (e.g. the white outer area of a sumo ring or the edge of a table).
Integrated DRV8835 dual motor drivers capable of delivering enough current for the Zumo’s two high-power gearmotors.
Piezo buzzer for playing simple sounds and music. The buzzer is controlled by one of the Arduino’s PWM outputs, so tones can be generated in the background without taking up a lot of processing power.
Integrated LSM303DLHC 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer that can be used to detect impacts. The compass gets a lot of interference from the motors, batteries, PCB, and its surroundings, so it is not generally useful for precision navigation, but we have found that, with proper calibration, it can be used as a rough indication of orientation in many environments.
Integrated L3GD20H 3-axis gyroscope that can be used to track rotation. This is new on the v1.2 version of the Zumo shield; previous versions did not include a gyro. With this sensor and the LSM303D mentioned above, the shield effectively has a built-in MinIMU-9 v3 IMU module that can optionally be used to make a attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) so that your robot can its orientation.
Optional user pushbutton on pin 12.
7.5 V boost regulator for powering the Arduino from the Zumo’s 4 AA batteries.
Convenient access to Arduino I/O lines, the pin 13 user LED, and the Arduino reset line via the shield.
General-purpose prototyping areas and an expansion area at the front for connecting additional sensors.
Compatible with the Arduino Uno R3 and Arduino Leonardo. Can also be used with older Arduinos that have the same form factor, like the Duemilanove.
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